A World of My Own: My Vacation
by Underdog Ash
Summary: Two years have passed since Ash Brandt helped save Hyrule.  Before going on a much needed vacation, Ash visits Hyrule only to find Link is missing.  Following orders from Zelda, Ash will go to Termina to find Link and make a vacation out of the mission.
1. Chapter 1: Battle of Thrones

Chapter 1:

Battle of

Thrones

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's no doubt that today is a glorious day for a Pokemon battle!" The announcer's voice reverberated throughout Medio Stadium which caused the crowd to shriek out in anticipation for the battle. But, this wasn't just any battle, of course. It was my battle.

The crowd was full of people from both the Kanto and Johto regions, waiting for the new Champion to be announced. Seeing how Medio Stadium was nestled between those two regions in the hill of Blackthorn, it was no surprise to see a variety of individuals hailing from those two parts. Both the people and the Pokemon differed greatly between the two regions.

"In the red corner, battling for the region of Johto and the chance to regain his Champion title is Lance." Once the announcer became silent, I heard screams and squeals cram into the atmosphere. I looked to my left to see Lance on the small television, clad in his signature cape. He was walking up the steps with a focused expression. I knew Lance came prepared.

"Hailing from the town of Blackthorn, Lance is the grandson of the Dragon elder and the cousin of Clair, the Johto League's Dragon-type Gym Leader. Gaining the crown of Champion five years ago, Lance took down every opponent that stepped onto the Indigo Plateau. However, as witness today, Lance was taken down by two trainers, both hailing from the Kanto town called Pallet. One last challenger remains. Can Lance get another chance to take back his title, or will the next challenger crush his dream."

Lance smirked and shook his head in disagreement. This fueled the crowd even more and shouts got louder. I was certainly the underdog in this match, which bothered me a lot. I looked down at my trusty Raichu, Lux, who smiled. At least he was confident.

"In the blue corner, we have the final challenger to the Champion throne. Hailing from the…er, Second Dimension is Ashley Brandt!"

I walked out with Lux right beside me. I heard shouts that seemed to be for me, but the sound never reached the magnitude for me that it did for Lance. I walked up the stairs to the blue platform and made direct eye contact with Lance.

Ever so slowly, the shouts from the crowd faded as I looked right at Lance. His eyes were a bright yellow color, which I had never seen before. From what I could tell, he seemed to be much older than me; maybe in his early twenties. He had red hair that stuck up a little and had a serious stance. As he looked at me, he stroked the collar of his cape and I could tell that he was evaluating me.

I straightened my orange beret and put my fingers over the crimson feather that was pinned to the hat on the side. I received the hat when I met up with Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom. Fastening my feather to the side was a circular pin that had an orange A on it. It stood for Ashley, much like the M on Mario's hat stood for Mario.

It didn't matter how straight my beret was though. Lance still looked ten times as badass as I did. Hell, I most likely looked like a Lance wannabe with my own cape dangling down my back. Lance had on a blue tunic lined with gold and a black belt at his waist. I just had on an orange jacket with a crimson blouse underneath and a skirt that came just above my knees. Compared to Lance, I looked like a hobo, especially with my fingerless gloves and tattered boots.

Suddenly, I heard the announcer's voice again. "Ashley was born in the city of Newark, located in Ohio." The entire time he said this, he sounded like he was unsure of himself; like he was asking a question. I didn't blame him because I was born in another dimension and the locations probably sounded off. Now that I had lived in the Ninten Dimension for two years, I was used to the confusion my birthplace caused.

"Ashley is known best as one of the protectors of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Ace Pilot of the Star Fox Team, and a hero of Hyrule."

As soon as I heard the word Hyrule, I lost focus.

It was about two years ago that I was asked by Princess Peach to help a boy named Link save the Kingdom of Hyrule. I was twelve then and he was as well. I remembered it being extremely overwhelming seeing as Link and I were asked to save this huge kingdom and we weren't given any time to prepare. We immediately had to use swords and shields to protect ourselves from various enemies. I had to conquer several fears and overcome my anxiety while I was relapsing off my medication, seeing as Hyrule didn't have Zoloft in stock. I even had to adjust to becoming an adult after Link and I were put seven years in the future by the sages.

And then there was him: the King of Evil. He was a huge guy who dabbled in black magic and could play a sick organ. His name was Ganondorf Dragmire and I would never forget his big, boisterous laugh…or his large, pointy nose. But, thanks to Link and I, he wasn't a bother to the kingdom. Princess Zelda and the Six Sages locked him up in the Sacred Realm so he would never harm a person of Hyrule again.

Of course, only a few know about Ganondorf and the whole 'Link and I being the Heroes of Time' thing. Long story short, time was pretty much reset after Ganondorf was thrown into the Sacred Realm. Without him screwing up the past, Hyrule was destined to become a nice, wealthy kingdom. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see what life was like without Ganondorf around because I had to leave immediately. I was told to report to Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom for it was seized by Bowser. I did just that and, during those two years from Hyrule, I saved the Mushroom Kingdom, avenged the life of my first friend James McCloud, beat the Indigo and Johto League, and found myself battling to become the Champion of both leagues.

Though I missed Hyrule so much, I was afraid to return there. It wasn't a fear of Ganondorf or death. My utmost fear was returning back to Hyrule and seeing Link. Link broke my heart before I left, despite the fact that he and I became tremendously close as adults. I mean, he was my first kiss and I didn't doubt that I was his as well.

However, he seemed more interested in Zelda whenever she was around, so I just gave up and couldn't wait to get out of Hyrule…

"What's the matter, trainer?" the announcer's voice said.

My thoughts were abruptly silenced by the announcer's voice and the screams from the throngs of people who were eager to see this battle get started. I shook my head and looked at Lance, who had his hand on his hip. I could tell he was growing impatient.

I waved my hand, which was the gesture that a trainer was ready for battle. The crowd bellowed in thrill. I wasn't sure how long I was zoned out, but it was time to get this thing started. I pulled a Pokeball off my belt and pressed the middle button which caused the ball to swell. I saw Lance do the same.

"Red corner, please release your Gyarados!" the announcer shouted.

Shit, I thought. The battle rules made it so that the two combatants could only pick three Pokemon to use and the first Pokemon would be set indefinitely. For example, Gyarados was a Water-type and my first Pokemon, Pasta the Charizard, was a Fire-type. Fire is inferior to water, but I would be unable to switch my Pokemon to a better type until the battle started. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but I wouldn't do any damage to Gyarados until my next turn.

Before Lance released his Pokemon, he gave me a bow. While bowing down, he looked up at me, but I decided to be an ass and just nodded. He scrunched his brow in anger and threw his Ultraball into the battle area, which was made of an ashy surface and small peaks. That wouldn't be a problem for Lance's Gyarados.

"Blue corner, please release…um," the announcer said and he paused for a moment. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I faintly heard "_Should I really say that?" _and "_Really? Alright then," _on the intercom. The voice returned to its bold pitch and continued. "Blue corner, please release Pasta, the Charizard."

I kissed my Pokeball as a little good luck towards Pasta and threw the ball out to the stage. A red laser like stream came out of the ball and made the form of a Charizard, which was a dragon-like creature with huge wings and a long tail. On the tip of his tail was a small blaze.

Once Pasta was all the wall out of the Pokeball, the ball itself came flying right back at me. I grabbed it and put it back on my belt, even though I would be returning Pasta. It was battle rules that each trainer had to put all Pokeballs back on their belt before the battle could officially begin. It was only fair because it gave Lance a small chance to get a move in, especially if I wasn't quick enough.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the fight you have been waiting for!" the announcer roared and was met by loud screams. "Trainers, I wish you luck, but there can only be one winner here." There was a pause that lasted for a couple seconds, but felt like an hour. I moved my fingers around a little; getting ready to grab my Pokeball and make Charizard return. I felt like a cowboy in those old movies, where they were preparing to draw their revolvers for a duel.

The crowd seemed breathless and quiet. It was tense as I waited for the announcer's voice to boom. Finally, it happened and the announcer said, "Let the battle begin!" I instantly grabbed my Pokeball, press the button and shouted, "Pasta, return."

At the same exact time I said that, Lance shouted, "Gyarados use Surf!" Thankfully I was able to get Charizard back to the Pokeball before the huge wave of water hit me. I was a little pissed, seeing as the battle just started and I was already soaked. But, I had to expect that, I suppose.

"Alright Lux," I shouted and looked down at him. He already knew what was up and jumped down to the stage, landing on a small hill.

"Gyarados use Quick Attack!" I heard Lance say.

"Watch out, Lux!" I shouted. Lux was already a step ahead of me and dodged the massive, blue body of Gyarados. "Now Lux, use Thunder!" I shouted to him.

I closed my eyes and hoped that the attack would hit. Thunder was such a powerful move that it was hard for Lux to gain control of it. It was even the same for me, when I used my electric powers. It was extremely powerful but so irrepressible.

I felt the sparks from the attack bounce off my skin. Seeing how the attack was hard to control, it was sporadic and went every which way. I opened my eyes to see Gyarados unscathed.

"Dammit," I whispered under my breath and looked at Lance, who had a dirty smirk on his face.

"Gyarados hit him with Rage." I watched as Gyarados' body began to move violently and fly towards Lux. Since he had just released a powerful move, Lux was trying to recover and didn't notice Gyarados' next attack. Lux was slammed into and fell to the ground. I gripped the balcony bars and did everything I could to keep myself from shouting. It was difficult seeing Lux in pain the way he was and not being able to do a thing about it.

"That was a bad one," I heard the announcer say. "Will Lux the Raichu recover from such a strong attack?"

There was no question about it in my mind that Lux would get back up. Sure, he was ten times bigger than Lux, but I knew Lux better than anyone else and knew that he wouldn't let an attack like Rage stop him. I was just a little uneasy as Rage made certain Pokemon's blood boil and they became more violent.

"Hit him with Rage again, Gyarados!" Lance shouted.

I saw Lux taking a breather, but he was aware of what was going on. He quickly darted to the side and slid across the ashy ground. Gyarados wasn't quick enough to catch Lux and his body slammed to the area that Lux had moved away from.

"Lux, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted. Thunderbolt wasn't as strong as Thunder, but it was much easier to control. I figured that it wouldn't down Gyarados in one hit, but it would at least deal a lot of damage and possibly paralyze him. The surge of power slammed into Gyarados and it let out a huge yell.

"Get up, Gyarados!" Lance shouted, but the Pokemon didn't move.

"It looks to be paralyzed," the announcer said.

"Alright Lux," I shouted amidst the hisses and boos from the crowd, "hit it with one more Thunderbolt while it's paralyzed!"

Lux jumped from a small hill and landed right on Gyarados' body. "Rai," I heard him say as he prepared to unleash a huge attack. "Chu!" And, from his small body came a huge bolt of electricity, which surrounded him and Gyarados.

Gyarados let out another huge yell, but up to the sky this time. The shout echoed through the stadium and all fell silent. Gyarados' head slammed on the ground and his body became lifeless.

There was complete stillness, but it was broken by a sharp whistle. I looked to the left of me to see a battle referee on a podium. He had two flags, which were red and blue. He held up the blue flag, which signaled that I had won.

"The blue corner is the victor of the first set," the announcer proclaimed. "Lance, please return your Gyarados for immediate medical attention."

Lance curled his lip in disgust. He held out his Pokeball and had Gyarados return as the crowd booed at my victory. I just smirked at Lance, who looked directly at me. It must have been hard for him and the people to realize that Lux, a little shrew-like Pokemon, could beat a huge, dragon-like Pokemon, such as Gyarados.

"Blue corner, please decide on whether to keep your current Pokemon out for the next set, or have it return," the announcer said.

Lux looked pretty tired, so I waved for him to come back. He used the crags to jump back up on the balcony with me.

"Blue trainer, please release your next Pokemon for the next set!" Seeing how I was in the lead, it was only right that Lance could see my next Pokemon first, so he could choose his next.

I knew the exact Pokemon to use. I unlatched my Loveball, which was like a Pokeball but was pink with a heart on the top. It was used to catch Pokemon of the opposite gender of yours. I made the ball expand and threw it.

"Go Cotton Candy!" I shouted and my Sneasel came out of the ball. She sparkled when she came out of the ball. Unlike most Sneasels, Cotton Candy was pink, which signified that she was a Shiny Pokemon. That meant she was a rare color and incredibly hard to come by.

"It seems that Blue trainer Ash has released her shiny Sneasel, Cotton Candy," the announcer said. "Lance, please release your next Pokemon."

Lance already had a Pokeball ready and had his arm across his torso. He smiled and looked me straight in the eyes. He threw his arm forward and let go of the ball, flinging it like a Frisbee. "Go Dragonite!" he shouted.

"What the hell?" I said aloud. Even a complete dumbass would realize that Sneasel, a Dark and Ice-type, could kill a Dragonite, which was a Dragon and Flying-type. Dragonite had two types that were both very weak to ice attacks. No wonder Blue and Red beat this guy.

I looked over at the ref, who would blow the whistle for the next set to start. Sure enough, after a couple of seconds, the ref blew his whistle. Lance would get the first attack, seeing as I beat him in the last set. Honestly, it didn't matter; I knew that Cotton Candy could beat him.

"Alright Dragonite," Lance shouted, "use Fire Blast!"

"Uh, what?" I said and put a dumbfounded expression on my face. I knew what Lance meant, but it was a surprise that his Dragonite could use Fire Blast. I hoped in the back of my mind that he was just bluffing, but he wasn't. My Cotton Candy was dead meat.

I felt a sudden gush of heat as a big blast of fire slammed into Cotton Candy. She tried to withstand the flames, but collapsed shortly after the fire disappeared. "Ooh, it's a one hit wonder!" the announcer shouted and the crowd erupted into cheers. I just rolled my eyes and got Cotton Candy's Pokeball. I waited for the ref to indicate who won and then had Cotton Candy return.

"What a shame to see such a rare Pokemon go," the announcer said. "With the fainting of red corner's Pokemon, it now makes both corners tied. It's a fifty-fifty shot at who will win this match. Red corner, please release your next Pokemon."

It was a tough call for me at that point. I had Lux, but electric attacks weren't super effective against Dragon-type Pokemon. Seeing how Dragonite was more Dragon-type than he was Flying-type, Lux would have tons of trouble fighting that beast. My best choice for the battle would have to be Pasta. He was a Flying and Fire-type, so any Fire Blast that Lance's Dragonite threw at him would be a lot easier to handle.

I grabbed Pasta's ball and threw it. "Let's do this, Pasta," I said and he came right out of the Pokeball. He stood straight in front of Lance's Dragonite and Pasta ended up being about two feet shorter than the Dragonite.

"Trainers, please ask your Pokemon to move back a bit," the ref shouted. "I can't officially start with them so close.

"Move back, Pasta," I said and Pasta did as he was told. Dragonite moved back as well, without needing Lance to tell him so.

The ref nodded to us in approval and put his whistle in his mouth. Two seconds later, we heard the shrill sound and the crowd cheered. It was my turn first, so I had to make sure that I took advantage of my opportunity.

"Pasta, use Fly," I shouted to him. Pasta beat his wings and stirred the ashy turf he was standing on. Seeing how he was heavy, it took him awhile to get his feet off the ground. I knew that Fly wouldn't do much damage to Dragonite, but I wanted to get a feel for what kind of battler Lance's Dragonite was. I had only seen a glimpse of his power when he took out Cotton Candy.

"You're pathetically easy to beat," I heard Lance say. We both had little microphones that we could use to hear each other's commands. We were also hooked to the ref's microphone, so he could communicate with us as well. Before I could respond he shouted, "Dragonite, use Thunder."

Thunder was able to hit a flying Pokemon, so I feared for Pasta's life. "Pasta, look out!" I shouted to him and he went ahead and did his Flying move by dodging the Thunder attack and slamming into Dragonite. Rather than do any damage however, Pasta just bounced off of Dragonite's big stomach.

"That didn't seem to do any damage at all," the announcer said amazed.

"Dragonite, hit him this time with another bolt of Thunder," Lance shouted.

"Dammit, move Pasta!" I shouted back. I knew that Lance would try and have Dragonite use the same move over and over and it looked like Dragonite could take it, unlike Lux who had to recover after using Thunder.

When Pasta was out of the way, I shouted, "Now use Body Slam." I figured that that attack would do some sort of damage to Dragonite. Unfortunately, Pasta bounced off Dragonite's belly again.

Lance asked Dragonite to use Thunder again. Pasta had done decent with dodging the attack, but he wasn't so lucky with the last one. The bolt of lightning that came from Dragonite's antennas crashed into Pasta. Pasta roared and fell to the ground with soot all over his body.

The ref blew the whistle and threw up the red flag. _Dammit _was the only word circulating through my mind. There was no way that Lux could defeat that thing, especially if Pasta didn't do any damage to it.

"Trainer please return your Pokemon to-, "and there was a pause from the announcer. "Well, I'll be. It seems that this Charizard wants another go."

I looked down at the stage to see Pasta slowly get up. I was completely awed by his strength and determination. He stood up as straight as he could and waited for my order. I was baffled at what to do, but I knew that there was one attack that could definitely take Dragonite down…but it would take Pasta down in the process.

"Pasta use Dragon Pulse!" I shouted.

Pasta looked up at the sky and lifted up his tail. Instantly, he slammed his tail down and the ground around him started to ripple like water. One of the ripples went underneath Dragonite and caused him to fly backwards. Since Dragon Pulse was a Dragon-type move, it was super effective against Dragonite. But, the move was too powerful for Pasta to pull off, especially since Pasta was already tired and beaten up. Pasta collapsed and Dragonite remained on his back.

"It seems that both Pokemon have been taken down by the same move," the announcer stated.

I looked over at the ref who swiped both flags forward. "There is no victor of this set. It is a tie."

I heard some boos and some cheers. I heard someone shout that Charizard was out and Lance won the set. But, the ref did nothing but blow his whistle to end the set. "Trainers, please return your Pokemon for immediate medical attention," the announcer said. "This means that the Red and Blue corner are now tied. One Pokemon will be the deciding factor of this set and will win their trainer the right to continue."

"Pasta return," I said and held out his Pokeball. The red laser shot out of the ball's center and formed around Pasta. Pasta was then pulled back into the Pokeball.

"Well, I guess it's just you now," I said to Lux and I knelt down beside him and scratched his head. "Do you think you can do it?" I asked and removed my hand from his head.

"Raichu," he said and balled his little paws together. He had more fire in his eyes than Pasta had on his tail.

"Then let's win this," I said with excitement and stood up. "Go Lux." I pointed forward as Lux jumped off the balcony railing and landed on a crag. I could see tiny sparks of electricity coming out of the pouches on his cheeks. He was ready, even though he had no idea what Pokemon Lance would choose.

Lance looked a little nervous as he picked the next and last Pokeball from his belt. He threw it and shouted, "Go Aerodactyl."

"Ooh, an Aerodactyl," the announcer said. "It's both a Rock and Flying-type. This final set will be very interesting.

When I heard Rock, my heart dropped. Lux, and every Electric-type in general, were very susceptible to Rock-type moves. If Aerodactyl got one Rock move on Lux, Lux would be doomed, but the same could be said vice versa. All Lux needed to do was get one Thunder move on Aerodactyl and it was toast. Thunderbolt would work, but it wouldn't hurt Aerodactyl enough, which would let him get another move in. I was already on a tight leash since Lance got to use the first turn.

We waited for the ref to give us the go and he did. Lance took no time and said, "Aerodactyl use Rock Slide." Aerodactyl landed on his short legs and flapped his wings upwards which caused bits of rock and ash to float up to the sky. He kicked off with his tiny legs and used his wings to redirect the rocks right towards Lux.

"Watch out!" I shouted, but Lux didn't move. I turned my head sideways to look away. I definitely didn't want to see my best friend get smacked in the face by rocks. I kept my head turned and my eyes closed shut, waiting to hear the referee's whistle, but I instead heard oohs and aahs.

"It seems that the Blue corner's Raichu is using the stream of rocks to jump right up to Lance's Aerodactyl," I heard the announcer say and I jerked my head forward to see the action. By the time I could see, Lux was on top of Aerodactyl's head. This was it.

"Lux use Thunder!"

"Raaaiiii," I heard him say, "ccchhhuuu!"

A huge bolt of lightning came down on both of them. It was so bright that I swore I saw Aerodactyl's skeleton. I held my breath as Aerodactyl fell to the ground and watched Lux cling to its small horns. There was a loud crash and waves of ash caused me to shield my eyes.

When I removed my hand, I saw Lux standing on Aerodactyl with his paws in the air. He did it!

"And we have a winner!" the announcer said enthusiastically just as the ref waved my blue flag. "Ashley Brandt of the Blue corner will now go on to the semi-finals to challenge Red Ash from Pallet Town!"

There was a mix of boos and cheers for me, but it didn't matter. I was just so happy for Lux that it took every bit of strength in my body to keep me from jumping right off that balcony just so I could hold him. I was so thrilled.

Lux jumped up the balcony and right into my arms. I totally missed Lance leaving the stage. I felt a little bad for him, seeing how he had no chance of regaining his champion title now. I decided that I would meet back up with him as soon as I could.

But, all that mattered at that time was Lux and his impressive victory.

However, I knew that the challenge had just begun…


	2. Chapter 2: A Call to Action

Escaping the shouts from the crowd was comforting as I went backstage. I received several high-fives from the crew working behind the scenes at Medio Stadium, but I hurried through them to make my way up to the commons. I was sure that Red, maybe even Blue, had just witnessed my victory on one of the huge televisions in the big room meant for competitors. Seeing how we were the only three left, it wouldn't be as busy as it was when this whole competition first started.

As I walked up the spiral staircase to get to the lodging area, I was welcomed with this feeling of unease. It suddenly dawned on me that, since I defeated Lance, I would be pitted against Red, who was really the only best friend I had made since Hyrule. I mean, Fox was pretty cool, but he was...well, a fox. And Falco was alright at the end, but he would suddenly decide to be a jerk at times. Red, and even sometimes Blue, were the closest people I had to friends my age; they both were only a year younger than me.

I felt grief for Red as well. Blue was his hometown rival and an exceptional Pokemon trainer to boot. It probably didn't help Red at all, seeing how Blue's grandfather was the renowned Professor Oak. But it was definite that the semi-final battle would take place with Red and I going head-to-head. If I won, I would get a chance at beating Blue. If he won, he would regain the opportunity to show that even a small town kid could achieve his dreams.

At the top of the staircase I came to a small balcony and saw the door to the commons. The door was rather big and had a Masterball on the front. I scrambled in my sock to find my key code that was needed to unlock the door. My socks came a little below my knees, so I dug deep. I finally felt the little slip and pulled it out. Adjusting my hat, I put the code into a little box right beside the door. Each trainer got a code when they entered the competition. Once they lost, they were immediately taken to their room by an official and had their key code terminated.

I watched the screen above the keyboard on the device. As it scanned my number, little Voltorbs rolled in a line. Once it was validated, a happy Electrobuzz gave me the thumbs up and I heard the door unlock.

As expected, the commons were barren, except for Red. He didn't greet me however and was watching the network's replay of his last match with Blue. He kept rewinding and playing sequences all over again.

"I'm back," I said, which seemed to startle Red. He his head around to see me and then jumped right up and over the couch to give me a big hug.

"That was amazing Ash," Red said to me. "I was breathless the entire battle."

To ruin the moment of course, I heard Blue's input. "You should have had another Pokemon on your team rather than the Sneazel. It's what killed you."

Red broke the embrace and I looked over at Blue who got up from the fireplace. The light from the fireplace gave Blue this creepy, almost evil look. As always, he had this uninterested look on his face and his hands in his pockets. His golden brown hair was messy and parted to the left, which always drove his sister nuts.

"I'm fully confident in Cotton Candy's abilities," I said and put my hands on my hips.

"Your funeral, then," Blue said and whisked his hair to the side. He tilted his head up and gave me a nasty look. "It'll take more than that to defeat me." And with that, Blue walked up to his room with his hands in his pockets. Trailing behind him was his Jolteon who followed him wherever he went. Blue had always been a quiet and reserved genius, but from the two years I had spent traveling with him and Red, I knew he had a heart of gold.

The television next caught my attention when the announcer said, "And join as tomorrow at ten for the semi-final match featuring Red from Pallet and Ash from Ohio. So long." Immediately, the network cut to a commercial and a sort of tension filled the room.

Red was fiddling with his hat to pause the awkward moment and I was just staring at the commercial that featured a Machamp holding up a car above his head with his back two hands and eating a bowl of cereal with his front.

"Well, I guess I'm going to hit the hay," I said after the commercial. "We both have a long day tomorrow."

"Indeed," Red said with a frown.

I walked to the staircase leading to the ladies quarter. I got up about three steps before Red said, "Wait." I stopped at his command and turned. "No matter what happens tomorrow," he said, "I hope it won't hinder our friendship in any way. And I also want you to know that it will be a honor battling you tomorrow."

"It will be an honor for me as well," I said with a smile, which in turn made Red smile and loosen up. "Of course we'll still be friends, no matter what. Now stop worrying and get some rest. I want to be battling you at your best."

"Goodnight," Red said and put his hat back on, "and don't worry. I'll give it my all tomorrow." I gave him a little wave and made my way back up to my room with Lux following me every step of the way.

_Tap tap tap..._

"Quit it Lux," I said in my tired stupor.

_Tap tap tap tap tap..._

"Lux," I said angrily.

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap..._

"Stop it," I said and immediately removed myself from the bed which knocked Lux over in the process. That's when I realized that Lux wasn't doing the tapping.

I used the increasingly loud sound of the tapping to deduce that it was coming from my window. I opened the curtains only to see a giant brown owl sitting on the ledge.

"Kaepora Gaebora!" I shouted aloud and immediately opened the window. It had been two years since I last seen this wise owl who helped Link and I several times back in Hyrule. But I couldn't help wondering why he was here...

Kaepora Gaebora flew right into the room and perched on a chair I had sitting by a desk. With him came a rush of smells which, while being mostly unpleasant, reminded me of Hyrule. He was barely able to fit on the small desk chair.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I come baring a request from the King Hyrule and Princess Zelda," Kaepora said. For a bird, his voice carried well.

"Well," I began and started to scratch my head, "I have a semi-final to compete in tomorrow and-"

"Link has gone missing," the owl said abruptly which caused my brain lose the ability to pronounce words. "The Royal Family has asked me to personally find and contact you. This is of much urgency. If a carrier of one of the Triforce pieces leaves the land of Hyrule for a certain period of time, it will shatter. He needs to be found immediately."

"Then why didn't you search for him instead of me?" I asked.

"I have been for a couple weeks now and have lost all trace of his presence. I fear that something has happened to him, which calls for you, the other Hero of Time, to save him."

Without a thought I rushed to my drawer and pulled out a change of clothes. I had to get there as soon as I could.

"I take it that I shall see you in Hyrule soon, then?" he asked me as I ran around frantically.

"Yes," I said. "Let the Royal Family know that I will be there as soon as I can."

"Good luck," Kaepora said and he took off out my window.

I quickly switched my pajamas to the clothes that I had worn just hours before. I quickly brushed my teeth and released Pasta outside my window. Lux jumped on his back using the ledge as support and I almost did the same, but I knew I was forgetting something. I quickly ran to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. I scribbled down a note which stated I had to leave and forfeit my title to Red and Blue, who would automatically match off with me out of the picture. I then made my leave on Pasta.

It was a three hour ride to Hyrule from Kanto and I travelled directly to the west. After an hour and a half of riding Pasta, I would switch to surfing on the sea using my Kingdra. That gave Pasta a break and my thighs a break from his tough scales.

When I arrived in Hyrule, dawn was just breaking. I flew over Death Mountain, which looked pretty much the same as always and Kakariko Village seemed to have expanded. From what I could see, more buildings were present than before. I could also see a cow or two below in a pen with the chickens. It was a little depressing seeing what I had missed.

I flew directly over the castle town to see it empty of all human life. It was still early so the little stray dogs were still running the town like they always did. I knew they would all disappear after the marketplace started to become alive again.

I didn't really feel like flying straight on top of the castle without informing the guards of my arrival, so I landed Pasta just before the entrance gate. As always, there was a guard standing before it holding a huge spear. It looked like he had been taking a nice nap before I made my noisy landing.

"Halt," he said with a serious tone, "who goes there?"

I returned Pasta into his Pokeball and approached the guard. He became a little tense for some reason, so I assumed he was new at the job. Kaepora didn't really give me an official note from the Royal Family, but I figured showing him the back of my right hand would suffice.

As with the other three who owned pieces of the Triforce, I had a mark on my hand that signified me as a chosen one by the goddesses. Before I showed up, there was only thought to be three pieces, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. However, I was the owner of the middle piece, which was called the Triforce of Balance. Link owned the Triforce of Courage, Zelda owned Wisdom, and the Dark Lord Ganondorf owned Power. Why the goddesses gave a man with the title of 'Dark Lord' a piece of the Triforce was beyond me, but he was imprisoned now in the Chamber of Sages and was being punished, so no one had to worry about him again.

While the guard obviously didn't know who I was, he knew the sacred symbol on my right hand was ligit. He straightened himself up nervously and hit the spear on the dirt road. The men who handled the gate opened it up for me and I was given clearance to go down the dirt path that lead to the castle of Hyrule.

The castle was a beautiful as ever. It was still the glistening white color that I remembered it being two years previous. The amount of guards present was as small as it always was. Hyrule wasn't known for being a violent kingdom nor was it known for having much crime. It must have been incredibly boring being a guard of Hyrule, though ridding the world of Ganondorf at least spared all of their lives (though they didn't know that).

As I got toward the final gate before the drawbridge to the main courtyard, I was greeted by salutes from four guards. Though they didn't know I was the Hero of Time, they at least knew of was honored by the Princess and the bearer of one of the Triforce pieces. I didn't really have enough time to stay and become a celebrity after the whole incident two years ago, but I was still a living legend.

The main courtyard was fairly the same. A three story guardhouse was off to the side with a small training area right beside it. Even as the sun lingered behind the hills, the high ups were already drilling the lower guards. Some were doing basic sword drills while others were left to do the archery drills.

The left side contained the horse stables which featured the best horses Hyrule had to offer. The Royal Family's white steed was given a cozy little stable and was already being groomed that morning. The other horses either belonged to servants or high ranked guards. It was then that I noticed an empty stable and right next to that was a stable containing my pony, Lightning. I rushed over to him and it seemed he recognized Lux and I immediately. It was a little taller than before and seemed a bit stronger, but it baffled me that he was two years old and still the size of a pony. That would be expected however, as I had heard the Hylian horses aged slower than other breeds.

After reuniting with my horse, I went to the front entrance of the castle to make my way in. The huge double doors were opened up by two guards just for me and the glamour that was Hyrule castle was revealed to me again. Just as the outside, the inside was white. It always creeped me out a little at how pure the place looked. There was no stain or track of mud in sight. The double staircase also looked as beautiful as ever.

"Ashley, Lux!" I heard from the top and looked up to see Zelda waving. Rather than her wearing that god awful hat, she had her hair free and down by her shoulders. I thought this made her look more youthful, rather than two years older. She rushed down the stairs and opened to me in a huge embrace. Unlike me she seemed to be the huggy type, which I always found annoying. It always seemed weird to me that Princess Zelda was someone that I would have naturally hated, but I could be annoyed or angry at her, even though Link favored her over me.

She knelt down to give Lux an even warmer embrace as she picked him up off the ground and swung him around. Lux cried out in a gleeful expression and I could see him smiling when she stopped and look at him. "And you're as cute as ever," she said with her squeaky, girly voice. She promptly sat him down and turned to face me.

"Honestly, I'm surprised she even showed up this early," I heard a man say. He was a skinny, snobby looking young man, with his black hair greased back to show his pretty boy face.

"And who are you?" I snapped. I already didn't like this guy.

"Oh, this is Oscar, my royal assistant," Zelda said.

Since Impa was technically a sage and didn't exist in this realm anymore, she wasn't there to take care of Zelda. Oscar was the new assistant that I didn't get to meet before I departed. Though Impa was serious and hard to talk to, I already hated this man's guts.

"He may seem a little meaner than Impa," Zelda whispered, "but he really is nice after you get to know him. Besides, Impa is still around anyway."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you've met that big owl, Kaepora Gaebora, right? He's actually Rauru!"

"So all the sages became birds?" I whispered in excitement, which was rather difficult.

"Girls, it isn't polite to whisper," Oscar said and he was finally down on our level. Seeing how he was 'elegant,' he had to walk elegantly down the stairs, which took awhile. "Now I suggest that this...thing sees your father immediately. They have business to attend to, as do you."

Oscar clapped and a servant of the castle showed up. "Please escort this guest to the King," he said and looked at me with his nose in the air.

"See you later, Ash," Zelda said as Oscar pushed her along.

I quietly followed the servant down a long hall that was forward underneath the double staircases. It led to a waiting room of sorts that was kept for the King's appointments. There were already several people in there, even Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. With him was a chicken that was donning a blue ribbon. I just assumed it was a prized winning chicken waiting to be honored by the king.

The servant led me to a door that she had to unlock herself. We traversed up two sets of grey, gloomy stairs and came to a wooden door with two guards posted there.

The servant bowed before the two and said, "I have with me Ashley Brandt, one of the Knights of Hyrule by request of King Daphnes Nohanson Hyrule."

The guards gave a salute, so I awkwardly saluted back. The servant bowed to me as the guards opened the door and made her exit. I walked in to what seemed to be a war room.

"I want to place it here," I heard the king say. His back was turned to me, but he seemed to be showing some guards and a noble something on a table.

The noble quickly opened up a map and looked for a second. "There is nothing there," he said and nodded. "We could definitely start building there immediately."

"Sir," a guard beside me cut in, "Ms. Brandt is here, per your request."

The King of Hyrule turned around and his robe made a dramatic flush to the side. He was still built tall and hadn't lost that gut he had before. He still had a warming twinkle in his eye and a short, white beard.

"Ash!" he said and came right over to me. He grabbed my hand and made me come over to the table. "We were just discussing where to build the new castle."

"You're building a new castle?" I asked.

"Yes of course. It's over two hundred years old." I perceived that to be a lie. There was no way that a castle that old could stay so white and eerily pure. "I'm thinking about shooting for a grey color next time, but not too grey. I still want it to be a glistening sight across the land."

"Yeah, that's something," I said, but I really wanted to get on task. "So why did you call me here?"

"Right to the point, huh?" the King said with a chuckle. "As you were no doubt told, Link has gone missing and I know all that you two had done for this kingdom." I gave him a little head turn, but I knew that speaking of the Hero of Time incident in front of other people wasn't right. He simply said: "Let's just say a rather big bird told me."

I nodded and he continued.

"We suspect that Link ran off to the land of Termina, which is just east of here. It'll take you five hours or so on horseback to even get close to the place. While I would say you could fly there on your Charizard, it's surrounded completely by forests. so it will be really hard to find."

"Why do you think Link left to go there?" I said.

"He left us a note that he went out to find an old friend," the King said. "At first we thought that you might have been there, but then we received word from the Mushroom Kingdom that you were participating in a tournament overseas. To be honest, we really don't know why he went to Termina, but he said in his note that that was where he was going to. That or he was just trying to take a vacation."

"Why would he take a vacation in Termina?"

"Termina, while not a huge province, is known very well for its festivals, beaches, boat tours, mountain get-a-ways, Goron races, and tons of other festivities. It's especially busy this time of year. I just assume that maybe he became bored and wanted to go on an adventure. Since Hyrule has been peaceful the last two or three years, we haven't had a huge demand for heroes."

"So you want me to travel to Termina and find Link? Then what?"

"Bring him back, of course," the King said. "If he's gone from Hyrule for too long, I'm afraid he might lose his Triforce of Courage and it might split into pieces."

"But I've been gone for two years and I still have mine," I said. The whole Triforce business was so bizarre and started to make my head hurt.

"Yours must be different then," the King said. "Seeing how you weren't even born in this dimension, I don't know how you got it in the first place. Anyway, I could be wrong. Many have translated the Hylian text and have different views on what it means. Some theories are that if one changes their form, their pieces will be split. Then there's the theory I believe in. Regardless, I'd like to play it safe and get him back."

"Alright then," I said with confidence. "Is there anyone I need to speak to when I get there?"

"The truth is, I really don't know who lives there. I don't even know what kind of government they have there, to be honest. I do know that Clock Town, which is right in the middle of Termina, is where humans reside. The swamp contains Deku race, the mountains have the Gorons, and the beach has Zoras."

"So all Dekus aren't raging, nut spitting lunatics then?" I asked because I knew far too well that the Deku race here in Hyrule would attack you on the spot. Some would fight you to the death and others would surrender and set up a shop for you.

"They have their own kingdom, so I suppose they are a little more civilized there," he said to me. "But, if you would rather visit another race, it is rumored that the canyon there contains the remains of the ancient dead."

I furrowed my brow in confusion and spoke. "So what you're telling me is that there are dead people living in a part of Termina; being regarded as citizens?"

The King bellowed his joyful laugh. It took him awhile to contain his amusement, but when he did he had this to say: "No, no, the undead probably don't even exist! There are just tons of ruins there from an empire that existed long ago. Most lore says the kingdom was cursed, but archaeologists beg to differ. But, I suppose you will find out more when you get there of course."

"Right, then," I said. "What do I need to take?"

"Since you will be representing Hyrule, my men have gotten you three tunics," the King told me and he clapped. Soon after, servants entered the room, each carrying a tunic that I would wear.

_Ugh_, I thought, _not these again. _Unfortunately for me, it seemed that the fashion in Hyrule had not changed since I left. All three tunics looked the same, but they were all different colors.

"Each race here in Hyrule have provided you with their fabric to make your garb," the King boasted. "The Kokiri thought you would appreciate the green tunic, seeing how Link always wore his. The Gorons fashioned you a red tunic, which could stand the temperatures of even hell itself. And lastly, the Zora people have given you a blue tunic which will help you breathe underwater like you were one of them."

I grabbed all three tunics in my arms, but noticed something was missing.

"Oh, and don't forget the cute hats, of course," the King said and he threw three hats at me that were green, red, and blue to match the tunics I had. I personally could have been grateful just wearing the tunic, but the hat was always the dumbest part.

There was a pause. "As much as I love the new wardrobe," I began, "what about the weapons?"

"Well, the best blacksmith in Hyrule created this tiny sword for you," the King said as his servant handed him the sheathed blade. "I figured you'd probably want a bigger size, but hopefully you won't be cutting down huge monsters while you're away." He sat the small sword on my pile of clothes and continued. "Of course, we have the Hero's Shield. It's a bit smaller than the Hylian Shield so it will be more comfortable for someone your size to wield."

The King held up the shield so I could see its design. As far as art style goes, the Hero's Shield was more of a minimalist's Hylian Shield. The only thing I could really make out was the bird that always held up the Triforce. This time however, the bird was actually flying above the Triforce. It wasn't as pretty as the adult shield, but the King was right. Even though I had grown since I last been to Hyrule, I was still small and wouldn't have been able to carry the Hylian Shield effectively.

The King promptly sat the shield down on my quest pile that I juggled in my hands. I was still a little unsatisfied with what I was given. "Do you guys have a bow lying around that I could borrow? Or a slingshot, perhaps?"

The King looked over to the side. "I really didn't think of that," he said rather bluntly. "I mean, this is what standard heroes get when they first begin a quest. Half of the adventure is finding the necessities yourself."

"I really hope I'm not gone for too long," I said with a tad bit of annoyance.

"I'm sure you won't be," the King assured me. "Anyway, if you find yourself there longer than you hoped, just take a break and relax now and then. They don't call Termina a vacation destination for nothing, my girl."

_Of course_, I thought as the King turned me around and walked me to the door.

"Now get dressed and pack your bags," he said behind me. "My servants will help you hoist your luggage on Lightning and we'll send you off."

"Thank you," I said as I struggled to walk and juggle the various objects I had in my hands. I heard the King shut the door behind me and I began my trek to an empty guest room.

"Ugh," I said to Lux as I put the Kokiri tunic's hat piece on. "I don't care how many times I've told you, I hate the hat the most."

After two years, I still wasn't sure if Lux knew human language besides obvious attack commands, but he was still nice to talk to. He nodded his head with a smile on his face. He must have known we were going to start an adventure of some kind.

I pulled up my skirt and latched on a brown belt. Surprisingly, my old tunic was a little too big. Two years of training and getting fit had really paid off. My hips were still too big in my opinion, but I tried not to let that bother me too much. I had already decided I just wanted to be a hero, rather than a sex symbol.

I buckled my new tiny sword around my body and placed my shield behind me. It gave me some trouble, but eventually I felt the shield mount onto my sheath. I was going to have to get used to unsheathing and sheathing my sword on my back again as well. I also took extra precaution and retied my boots. I didn't want to make any rest stops on the way to Termina and I definitely didn't want to have one of my boots fall off during the ride.

I looked at myself in the mirror before I left. I realized that I had been in this room two years prior. I felt disgusted looking at my dirty, tired face. I was definitely weak back then and terrified, but I persevered. Now I was stronger and more confident, although I still doubted myself a lot. But I was still growing and learning.

I was getting ready to leave, but I heard loud chirping which caught my attention. I turned around to see three little birds that had a small, burlap sack lying in front of them on the window sill. One of the birds was a green oriole, another was a blue Steller's jay, and the other was a purple starling. I began to walk over carefully so I wouldn't scare the birds away.

"We know who you are silly," the Steller's jay said. "You don't have to walk all weird like that, Ash."

I stood straight up and was shocked. "How do you know my name?"

"Didn't Zelda tell you that all sages were reincarnated in this world into birds?" the purple starling asked.

I recognized the voice and immediately said, "Are you Impa?"

The purple bird nodded as the green one jumped up in the air and shouted, "And I'm Saria."

I pointed to the blue bird and said, "So you must be Princess Ruto then?" She gave a little weird bird bow. Since I knew who they were, I approached them more loosely. "So, what's in the bag?"

"The Princess has instructed us to return to you your Ocarina of Time," Impa said and she used her beak to uncover the object underneath. The glossy blue ocarina glowed in the light of the afternoon sun and I just stared with awe. It had been a long time since I last saw the Ocarina of Time and, while I didn't know how to play it, I realized that I missed it and all its beauty.

I gently picked it up and held it in my hands. It was so light and fragile for such an important instrument. "Thank you," I said and shoved it in my tunic pocket. "Do you guys know for sure that Link is in Termina?"

"Rauru said that he is," Impa said. "He followed him since he left, but lost track of him. He came back here and waited a couple days, then contacted you. He then headed back to Termina with Nabooru and Darunia to do some more searching."

"We are actually instructed to take our leave to Termina as well," Ruto said. "We all want to be there to help you find Link."

"Well, then I think it's time for me to get out of here," I said and the three birds began to fly in the air.

"Bye Ash," they all said in unison. I watched them until I could see them no longer and hurried out of the room with Lux. I was really eager to get to Termina now, seeing how the sages would be there to make the journey a little easier. I hustled down the stairs and burst right out the front door to find Princess Zelda and the King waiting for me. Lightning had a small saddle on his back that had a bag hitched to the side and a little seat made for Lux.

"We went ahead and got you some potions for the road," the King told me with a bright smile. "Zelda also prepared some roasted Deku Nuts for you if you become hungry."

"Thank you," I said and bowed. They both gave me a bow in return.

"Be careful, Ms. Brandt," the King said as I mounted Lightning. "We're proud of you."

"And please bring Link back safe and sound," Zelda pleaded right after I took off. I held up the 'O.K.' sign with my right hand and began my journey to the east.


End file.
